Which Hat???

[kraut-60]

When I became a den leader in the fall of '99, I wore the then current issue cub scout cap. The cap was the blue/gold one with the wolf on dark blue emblem. I wore it until the den graduated to Webelos. While a Webolos den leader, I wore the red/olive BSA ball-cap. I still wear the same cap now as an ASM of my sons troop. I chose not to wear the then current blue/light blue Webelos cap as I simply prefered the BSA style and told the boys in the den that the cap I wore was what they could wear when the joined Boy Scouts. While at the Grant pilgrimage at Galena ,IL this sping, my son who doesnt care for the ball cap, seen an Eagle scout in current full uniform wearing one of the older "flat hats" and immediatly took a shine to that great looking older hat. Needless to say, we got several from eBay and have been wearing them to meetings and all BSA events, all the while getting positive comments on them, as well as the question of where to get one.

[Eamonn]

I hate hats, caps and head gear.

Back when the earth was a little younger, our school uniform had a cap, lined with some sort of shinny material and a badge with a yellow cross to remind us and warn everyone else that we went to Holy Cross.

When I joined Wolf Cubs as they were then in the UK. The cap was green with yellow piping,like a string that went all around the cap and also divided it into segments. Someone did tell me why there was the number of segments. But I can't remember what they said. In the front of the cap was a badge with a red Wolf. As you advanced you got What I think were called second and first class? Any way they were stars that you wore either side of the badge. The wolf on the badge had his eyes closed and the stars were to represent one eye open then both eyes open. Just before leaving the pack you earned the Leaping Wolf, very much like the Arrow of light but it was a patch that you wore on the green pullover which was made of wool and itched like crazy.

When I moved on to grammar school it was a black cap with a badge with an elephant on it.

I entered the troop just as the UK uniform was changing. I got to wear a green beret, unlined with a leather band there was a metal scout badge that was the cause of a lot of pain when someone whacked you with it.

When I moved over here I went without a hat, I was invited to serve on Wood Badge and bought a campaign hat. I looked like a real dork.

I went as a participant on the old Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge, so I bought a Cub Scouter Blue and white ball cap? We never wore caps. The rule was if caps were to be worn everyone in the Den wore them. It so happened that each and every den had at least one cap missing. I served on a couple more Wood Badge course, the campaign hat still made me look like a dork. So I thought I would buy a bigger one. I looked at the cost in the catalog and I think it was about $75.00 Which was about what I paid for the "Dorky" one. I could have got it at cost which would have brought it down to under $55.00. Someone said that you could buy them on the net for $28.00 plus shipping. I send off for details and they send me a paper that was to measure my head. I send my head size along with $32.00. My hat came back it was smaller then the one I had, So I mailed it back and paid the shipping on a bigger one.$9.00. The other new hat arrived and it was way too big. Back it went along with more shipping. The next new hat arrived. It fit, but I still looked like a dork. I bought a new hat press and had to buy the hat band and chin strap (The one that I had just bought had a plastic chin strap)

The band and strap was $14.00. My cheap hat cost me $64.00 and I still looked like a dork.

Last year when I was course director for a Wood Badge course, I gave headgear a lot of thought.

On one hand there was the idea of a Wood Badge staff that looked like a Norman Rockwell picture on the other was the fact that the Campaign Hat is not the official hat for Cub Scouters and who knows what the official head gear is for Venture leaders in the green shirt? So I decided that we would include in the cost of course a ball cap. It was to be a tan cap with the Gilwell logo (Ax in log) the words Wood Badge NE-IV-153. My dear friend Jack who at that time was Assistant Scout Exec. Was our course Advisor,Jack orders a lot of T-shirts and caps for different events that the Council has. So I left the ordering of the caps and T-shirts with Jack. The Staff arrived on Wednesday night, the course started on Saturday. Jack arrived, his car packed with stuff. We helped him unload. I looked at the caps and they have the wrong number on, so do the shirts. I am a little upset, people have ordered extra shirts and some ordered extra caps.

I inform Jack telling him that who ever made them has made a mistake. Jack tells me that this has never happened before and how reliable the company is. I tell him that might be so, but they screwed up this time. He looks at the caps and swears!! Jack has been known to let the odd word slip out. He is standing there shaking his head. He looks at me and tells me that he knows that number. It is the number of the course that he took back in the 70's.

We tell all the participants that they will receive the correct shirt and cap at the second weekend. We ask them if they want to buy what will soon be a prized collector shirt and hat. We sold all of them and even made a couple of dollars along the way.

I don't know if wearing ball caps all the time is just a southwestern Pennsylvania thing? The guys around here seem to really love caps. People keep giving me them. I go visit a troop and they give me a troop cap, the council has caps that they give out for helping at different events.

Her That Must Be Obeyed, tells me that they make my nose look bigger!! I have a large snout to start with. Pam our old DE said that she went to a PDL training and this tall good looking man who was a trainer got out of a small two seater convertible and put on his campaign hat. She said that there was something sexy about it - And I still look like a dork. I'm not sure If I'm a sexy dork or not?

Eamonn

[Strawberry Switchblade]

Hehe. Poor Eamonn.

 

On a slight tangent, the scout troop I used to know had a red beret as apart of their uniform. It was sexy, and Scouts are not always that sexy. It came off as sophisticated and gave an aura of superiority.

[BPwannabe@137]

Eamonn,

 

I actually feel sorry for you. You are not a hat person. (nor is my wife-she would express the same opinions as you but it would have more to do with hair style).

 

I am the same with neckerchefs. I love them on everyone else, but I feel like a dork wearing one. I am know for wearing my necktie everywhere (yes, even camping-and always with a campaign hat). Just can't bring myself to wear a neckerchef, I even have a collection of about 50 or so.

 

But like the hat issue, guess what, the world doesm't come to an end because I am not wearing an official cub scout leader neckerchef. Same with hats. Wear what you want, or wear nothing on your head, just keep scouting.

 

PS-I thought the Brits green beret was really sharp!

[SWScouter]

Hey Eamonn, though I wouldn't know, I suppose it's better to look like a dork than to be a dork.

[Eamonn]

Believe me there have been times when Her That Must Be Obeyed has called me things a lot worse then a dork.

Sad to report there have been times when she has been right.

Eamonn.

[kraut-60]

I know kids like the current style knit caps worn pulled down. Perhaps supply division could come up with a scout version. Maybe olive green with a red FDL embroidered on it? Would be handy when the weathers cold and would fit in a pocket or pack easily.

[hops_scout]

They do have something similar already. I believe it is tan though.

[orennoah]

First, the good news. Our troop adopted a very cool Scout hat for adult and Scout leaders. They look great and work well in all conditions, from Death Valley desert sun to Sierra Nevada winter blizzards. Until recently, the only downside was that they are not from the B.S.A., but from Scouts Australia. They are quality fur felt (like the B.S.A. campaign hats) but because of the exchange rate, cost us only about $35 a piece, delivered! They look to be made by Akubra (which sell for more than $100 here).

 

Now, the bad news. Even though they had the coolest uniform hats of any country in the World Brotherhood of Scouting, the Aussies have abandoned their hat (along with the rest of their uniform) in favor of some generic, non-descript clothing. Alas.

 

- Oren Noah